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Toni Braxton, 55, was on TODAY show We’re discussing her latest health scare these days. The singer, who has opened up about her diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), revealed the disease nearly led to a heart attack. I had to get a device (a device that is placed in the coronary arteries to ensure blood flow to the heart). This happened last year around the time her sister Tracy died of cancer.
“It was put in a really, really scary moment,” the singer shared. She added that the experience was “surreal.”
Braxton found out she needed a stent after visiting her doctor for an appointment. She was having pains in her chest, so I set a time for her to go.of The former TV personality almost bailed out the appointment as she felt okay and attributed the pain she was feeling to grief from losing her sister.
Braxton said on the show, “I thought it was just grief. I ignored the signs because it turned out to be much more serious…and a lot of people tend to do that.”
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After examining the star, doctors told her she needed a stent placed “immediately.”
“A few days after they had the procedure, they told me it was a touch and go,” she told hosts Hoda Kot and Jenna Bush Hager. Had she skipped that doctor’s appointment, she would have had a Widowmaker heart attack, which occurs when the largest artery of your heart is blocked.
“I would have had a massive heart attack and wouldn’t have survived,” she said.
Overcoming health hurdles is a big part of Braxton’s story. She first revealed she had lupus in 2010, but she was diagnosed in 2008. Since her diagnosis, she has become an ambassador for her Get Uncomfortable campaign for Aurinia Pharmaceuticals.
On the Today show, Braxton also admitted that she was initially ashamed of having lupus and didn’t want to go public about it. It helped her understand things and gave her the courage to speak up about it, she says.
“It’s very encouraging when people come to me and say, ‘I have lupus too, and you helped me a lot,'” she says.
Unfortunately, lupus affects Braxton’s ability to perform at the pace he used to. She said she could do one-off shows, but nothing in the long run.
The Grammy winner said, “It’s challenging for me because I know I can never do a show again for seven days. I feel proud of myself,” and said the “tough self-love” he gave himself early in his career helped him get through all the ups and downs.
She also encouraged those with chronic health conditions to seek medical care.
“You have to get those screenings done,” she said. “That’s very important.”